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3 things doctors wish to see in their kids when they grow up

Posted by
BE Blogger
on April 29, 2016

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Raising kids is hard.
And, while it’s hard for any parent, it can be grueling if one or both
parents are doctors. Every parent wants their kids to be successful in
life, not just professionally, but also in personal and social life. As
doctors, we are always trying to find a balance between work and
personal lives, while making sure we provide everything our kids need to
succeed in life. Of course, we want our kids to have all the good
characteristics when they grow up, which is practically impossible. So,
we asked our community to tell us top three things they want to see in
their kids when they grow up. Some common themes emerged among the
responses, such as Grit, Self Sufficiency, Empathy, and Health. But,
there is a lot more, and we are amazed to see community’s enthusiasm
around this topic. Here are responses from seven leading physicians:

Independence: I wish that they
have the courage to speak for themselves and not give-into peer
pressure, whether it be professionally or personally. I would like them
to think on their own and be able to decipher fact from fiction. I also
would like to be able to support themselves financially and be able to
make the right choices for themselves.

Strength: I would like to see them as strong individuals, taking care of their bodies, mind, finances, etc.

Work Ethic: I want my children
to have a high work ethic, not taking the easy way out. Work hard and
get results, not complain about what others have or how you were
cheated. If you want something bad enough, then go get it!

Be humble & kind: Where
and when you’re born is based totally on chance. I hope my children
realize that they have had a lot more opportunities than many other
people in the world. I hope they exercise kindness and humility to
other people with all their encounters.

Grit: I hope my children learn
the value of perseverance, grit and hard work. Anything worth
achieving will require dedication and work, whatever that goal may be.
Like Malcolm Gladwell, I believe that 10,000 hours of practice is
required for mastery of any field or topic. As I have learned myself,
the more I delve into a particular area, such as developing my business
or anesthesia, the more easy it becomes, the more confidence I grow, and
more opportunities find me! With grit grows opportunity!

Be Happy: My children are
young now, only 2 and 4 years old. Being happy seems to come to them
easily. Happiness comes in the form of a cupcake or a new toy. However
as they (and humans, in general) grow up, life will get complicated. I
hope they find happiness in a hobby they enjoy, their work, their
friends or maybe even their families! I hope they find a moment to
smile and think “Life is Good!”

Grit: What I hope they take
away from my example isn’t the workaholic tendencies that don’t always
pan out. Instead, I hope they do get a sense that grit is a necessary
part of success.

Willingness to sacrifice to make a difference:
I also hope they see that it’s worth sacrificing to help others,
whether sacrificing dinnertime to help a neighbor’s child with a broken
ankle, or sacrificing sleep and money to make the Buzzy device to help
needle pain and fear.

Kindness: Finally, when I see my kids do something kind I’m the most proud, and I hope they never lose that.

Never Give Up: The first thing
would be to never give up on their goals in life. There are so many
wonderful opportunities that this beautiful life can provide us with. I
would hate for them to feel as though they were not good enough to
follow their heart and complete their own dreams. I want them to look
back on their life and know they have tried their hardest to reach every
single dream they had for themselves.

Health: My father recently
lost his battle with Congestive Heart Failure. With his passing, it has
only solidified the fact that we must take care of our health. There are
things I wish he would have done better when it came to his health. I
may still have the opportunity to spend time with him if he did. Health
trumps all and we are only given one body. We all forget how amazing our
body is and how many “little battles” it must fight for us on a daily
basis. It is absolutely vital to take care of it and respect it.

Good Money Habits: I also wish
that I would have developed better money habits from a young age. It is
hard when you want to continue your education, but also know you may
forever be in debt. I had to live off of student loans throughout
undergraduate and graduate school; I did not have any other option at
the time. If I could go back, I would work harder on preventing this as
much as I could.

Passion: The first and most
important thing that I wish my child would have is passion. I truly
believe having a passion is what makes human beings beautiful. It is my
passion for medicine that sculpted me into the person I am today and I
truly believe I would’ve been completely lost without it. Passionate
people are what make the world we live in great, whether it is through
music, science or art. I believe the best path to greatness is achieved
through the relentless pursuit of your passion.

Curiosity: Another important
trait I wish my child would grow up to have and nurture is curiosity. It
is of utmost importance to maintain an open mind and a willingness to
always learn, evolve and better yourself. Living in a closed off and
safe environment, never wondering what more there is to life, to the
world – would be a waste in my opinion. There are hundreds of cultures,
places, religions, animals, even foods in the world. I want my child to
have the desire to see and experience as much as he can in his lifetime.
The amount of things you can teach your child as a parent is greatly
out scaled by the quantity and quality of lessons that the world has to
offer.

Health: Last but not least,
every parent wants for their child to always be healthy. Success is
relative and means something else for every single person. Since I could
never anticipate what skill sets my child would require to achieve his
version of success, I want him to always have a healthy mind, body and
spirit.

Empathy: There is a lot of
suffering in this world and there is a lot that we as human beings can
do to alleviate suffering. But, there must be empathy – this is what
allows us to feel connected despite our differences.

Responsibility: I want my
children to understand that as much as I love and care for them, they
must take responsibility for their actions and choices that they make.
Parents will not always be able to undo the consequences of poor
decision making.

Work/Life Balance: As a
cardiologist, I’ve cared for people with sudden cardiac death and it is
devastating. None of us are promised tomorrow. It’s important to
prioritize what really matters in life and make time for those things.